Vision Zero (New York City)

In 1990 there were 701 traffic fatalities in New York City. In 2013 there were 286 traffic fatalities. with 132 deaths. However, traffic injuries and traffic crashes in New York City under de Blasio's mayoralty have been increasing. However, in July 2019, de Blasio came under criticism after fifteen cyclists died since the beginning of the year, more than the number of cyclists killed in all of 2018. ==Program==

Implementation The plan includes criminal charges against traffic violators, speed limit reduction from , slow zones, increased enforcement, increase use of speed cameras, quicker repairing broken traffic signals, and strict enforcement on taxi drivers.It also includes adding leading pedestrian interval signals, which allow pedestrians to start crossing before parallel vehicular traffic has a green light, to 800 signalized intersections per year. In addition, over 7,500 of the city's 13,000 signalized intersections received pedestrian countdown timers that count down the seconds remaining for pedestrians to cross.New Vision Zero laws made it a crime, punishable by imprisonment, if a driver does not yield to a pedestrian and causes death or injury. Results There was a reduction in traffic fatalities in the year 2014, but the reaction was mixed. Transit union officials say that bus drivers are persecuted through this law, and that they should be treated like government officials and not be charged criminally. Opponents say that bus drivers killed at least 9 of the 132 pedestrians in 2014 and that they should therefore be investigated like anyone else. A 2024 study in the American Journal of Public Health found that, as a result of Vision Zero, Medicaid expenses related to traffic injuries in New York City had decreased from $762 million in 2014 to $671 million in 2018. Evaluations of New York City's Vision Zero policy have generally found positive safety outcomes, particularly for pedestrians. A 2024 study estimated an immediate reduction of about 6% in pedestrian crash incidence following the implementation of corridor upgrades, based on a comparison between upgraded corridors and similar corridors that did not receive upgrades. Long-term analyses of the program in New York City have also identified overall declines in pedestrian and vehicle occupant casualties over nearly a decade of implementation. In addition, studies examining specific policy components have found that reductions in posted speed limits were associated with decreases in traffic injuries, supporting speed management as a key element of Vision Zero. ==See also==